While neither of us are overly into looking at captive animals, the Jaguar Rescue Center’s proximity to our Airbnb and raving reviews lead us to venture in for a tour. Now, we are so happy we did and it has been one of our best experiences here in Puerto Viejo so far!
You can check out the full Jaguar Rescue Center Gallery here.
HOW TO GET THERE
The center sits about two miles south of Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, about 100m off the main road. You’ll see a massive sign saying “JAGUAR RESCUE CENTER” on your right, you can’t miss it! Rent a bike for $10USD or take a walk to enjoy the scenery, as the road is very safe.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Somehow even more impressive than the animals were the tour guides, who are some of the most knowledgable and passionate people I’ve ever encountered. Our tour guide Becky’s claim to fame is that she is the only person in the world with a PhD in sloth behavior, making her the worlds’ utmost expert on sloths… pretty badass. She lead us around the center with such confidence, knowing so much about each species and even knowing every single one of the animals by name: “Hola” the parrot and “Risotto” the sloth, to name a few.
A few more examples of how the Center goes above and beyond for animal conservation:
- It’s extremely difficult to reintroduce capuchin monkeys into the rainforest. In order to make the transfer as successful as possible, the Center has a volunteer bond with them for hours each day in order to be accepted into their ‘family’. That volunteer slowly starts taking them into the rainforest every day for more and more time, teaching them basic survival skills, demonstrating what to eat and how, and once they are ready to go, takes them over 10 hours deep into the most human-less habitat in the country in order to release them.
- One night, the center unexpectedly received thirteen giant sea turtles who were critically injured. Having no facility for them, the volunteers spent the entire night digging a massive ditch and running back and forth to the ocean with buckets of seawater in order to create a makeshift “tank” big enough to hold all of them.
- Because a huge cause of sloth death is electrocution from climbing on uninsulated electric power lines, the Center is currently working with the Costa Rican government on a project to insulate every power line throughout the country.
Overall, the Jaguar Rescue Center is an amazing place with equally amazing staff. It’s truly a Puerto Viejo must-see. Here are the details you’ll need for your visit:
COST
OTHER DETAILS
